We had a great realtor from this agency help us buy our home. She was very patient with us and gave us some good advice. She also helped my parents sell their home and buy another. Very competent and friendly.

This is a beautiful park, but apparently underfunded. There is no adequate path that goes through the park. The trees are gorgeous and you can walk along the river. Visit the sledding hill in winter and come for the soccer tournaments in the summer.

Reszel Family Practice is good quality when it comes to your run of the mill primary care physician. I get to see the same couple of doctors every time I go in and I don't have to wait too long. They have a great view of the river too. Very nice real estate if you ask me.

My brother in law takes his son to this barber shop and they get their hair cut together. It's kind of a male bonding ritual. And their hair looks pretty good. They also sell old postcards of the area which is a nice little addition to the shop.

We called this place "lack of Quality" when the previous tenant ran it. Now it's a pretty good grocery store. Most notably, the staff seems happy and competent. Their prices are quite good and if you need another reason to stop by, all the aisles are named after local streets. Cute.

Guercio's has everything you need if you're Italian and everything you need to feel Italian if you're not. Their fresh produce will be sprawled out on the sidewalk during the summer months and is usually the freshest and cheapest around. The shop isn't fancy, but there are a lot of great imported products to be had at great prices.

Take a number for the deli, since it's always busy. Get there early in the day if you want to get some of the rolls they carry from Le Metro Bakery - priced lower than anything you can buy directly from Le Metro and they're the meatiest sub rolls you've ever had. The perfect vessel for your deli purchases.

Whether you're shopping for 12 different fishes or just some linguine and cheap marinara, Guercio's has you covered. Check their hours - they close earlier than a supermarket and bring plenty of "excuse me"s since it can get a little cramped in there. But that's to be expected, because greatness draws crowds.

PROS: Mmmmm
CONS: Crowded at times, and if you work late, you're out of luck.

Old Fort Niagara is a great place to go for local, regional, and national history. It is partly a reenactment. Most of the buildings and walls of the fort are in their original state and you can tour the French Castle where the soldiers slept and ate, and the bakehouse where the bread was made and food was stored. All of the areas are staffed with knowledgeable reenactors in period costume who will talk to you as much or as little as you want and answer any questions you have. You'll learn of the different phases of the Fort's history and the different purposes it served, beginning with the French fur traders up to its use for training soldiers during World War II. The Fort contains a well-organized museum that traces the sometimes confusing events in chronological order. You'll leave with a better understanding of early America and with some sense of the importance of the region in early conflicts. I recommend you spend half a day walking around the buildings. If you can come during a special event like an encampment, there will be more to do, but there's plenty to see anyway.

PROS: More history than you can shake a stick at, well presented
CONS: Get's a bit cold in the wintertime, so rug up.

You can get a variety of t-shirts, pullovers and windbreakers at The Dory. They also sell local art, lighthouse figurines, Youngstown flags and other sailing paraphenalia. It looks like they also send out dry cleaning. The shop owner/attendant is very friendly. If you're looking for something in particular, just ask. Then when you're done shopping, head down to the water and take a deep breath of that fresh air. You'll need it for the walk back up to the street.

I had my "new" 1987 Chevy Van inspected at Monro Muffler recently and they failed it, which I didn't like very much. Even at the time, however, I had to admit that the tire didn't look very safe, but how is a blown license plate lightbulb a safety issue? Well, I took it in stride until I was ready to get in my van after paying 21 bucks for "nothing," and I noticed that they had taken off my 10 day inspection slip. I asked the guy what the deal was, since it wasn't expired yet. He told me that it was indeed expired because it's not 10 days from when you get it, it's 10 days including the day you get it. So it was valid until yesterday, not today. Great. I got kind of mad - it was the whole insult to injury thing. I had just paid 200 to register this monstrosity, I had a list of repairs to do on it, and now I could get a ticket on the way home because I have this big empty spot on my windshield where an inspection sticker should be.

Well, I got home, ordered some parts online, changed the tire, stuck a new bulb in and everything's good now. I realize now that they were just doing their jobs well, and there's nothing wrong with that. For what it's worth, I laughed when he gave me a quote of $75 for replacing the turn signal lens for me. The part cost me $8 with shipping and I put it on in 15 minutes. But I guess they would have had it shipped overnight and that costs big bucks. All in all, they seem fair and I can't fault them for that. They were also pretty good natured when I had my attitude problem, which was nice.

PROS: They're professionals
CONS: They won't give you a break when it comes to NYS inspections